


And They Were Roomates

by liminal_mess



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, M/M, Mention of an Overdose, Mentions of addiction, Mentions of homophobia, No cheating, Past Magnus Bane/Camille Belcourt, Roommates, i guess online confessions as prompts is my brand now oops, mention of past cheating by Camille, though it's more like Alec thinking his gay panic is homophobia when it's not
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:33:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25574389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liminal_mess/pseuds/liminal_mess
Summary: Alec has to find a new apartment for his senior year at Alicante University and Magnus is looking to rent out a room. They get along well right away but Alec keeps acting strange and he doesn't know why. To add to his confusion, he finds himself acting even stranger when Magnus mentions his boyfriend, Ragnor. He figures it's because he isn't as okay with two guys being together as he thought. Except, its something completely different and Alec is definitely in over his head.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Temporary + Background Magnus Bane/Ragnor Fell
Comments: 24
Kudos: 72





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alrighty I guess my brain on Malec is running wild so I wrote something else based on the screenshot in this twitter post lmao: https://twitter.com/OumyLightwood/status/1287726423197745154. The title is in reference to this vine, in case you haven't seen it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-P0m0M_8pc  
> Oh and, this is the shirt/jewelry combo I'm imagining Magnus wearing(minus the jacket) when he meets Alec so honestly, poor Alec R.I.P. https://twitter.com/shumdcrios/status/1287858149349896194  
> Once again no other eyes have seen it so I have no idea if this makes any sense or is working at all so any feedback will be cherished and will fuel me to write more.  
> I'm @liminal_mess on Twitter and since this will be multiple chapters, might as well start a tag for the bird app like the cool kids so it’ll be:#ATWRfic. OK BYE.

When Alec saw the post on his university facebook group about a room being open in Brooklyn, he was hesitant at first. He had never heard of the guy, Magnus Bane, even though they had apparently been attending the same college for 3 years now. As he clicked on the man’s profile, he could see why: Magnus was doing a double major in fashion and theater, while Alec had stayed in the realm of business classes for most of his time at Alicante University, outside of taking gen eds. He was also ridiculously handsome and well dressed in every single profile photo. 

Alec was still figuring out his sexuality and was sticking to straight for now because it was just less complicated and he hadn’t really had time for any relationships since his breakup with Lydia his freshman year. But he was at least secure enough in his masculinity to admit to himself that Magnus was on some other level with his good looks and style. 

He shook his head and clicked back to the housing post. The place looked nice enough. It had big windows that let in a lot of light and looked way more clean than the few other posts he had seen from guys he knew in his program. And what other choice did he have? It was almost August and most people were already set on housing. 

He had been rooming with his siblings the past couple years but well, Izzy was in rehab and Jace had decided to do a semester abroad in Paris with his girlfriend, Clary. The two of them had moved early to adjust to life in Paris like they had originally planned at Alec’s insistence, reassuring them that him and Simon were going to be around to support Izzy. 

He missed them already, especially Izzy, even though he knew she had made the right decision for herself. He still worried about her constantly and wanted her to be okay. With both Izzy and Jace not being around to help, Alec had been too busy working at the family shop all summer and had realized a little late that oh shit, he didn’t know where he was going to live for his last year of college.

He decided to say fuck it and message Magnus about the listing. 

  
  
  


Three weeks later, he had packed up his car with his mom and Max’s help and was ready to head over to Magnus’ apartment, which was now also his for the next year. 

“Are you okay? You have everything? Need any snacks for the road?” Maryse smoothed down his shirt and straightened the collar of his jacket nervously. 

“Yes, mom, I’m just moving to the city, not across the country. Don’t worry about me.”

“I do though. You’re my sweet boy and I’ll always worry about you.”

Alec softened at that and gave her a quick peck on her forehead. “I know, Mom. I love you.”

He crouched down and messed up Max’s hair, which the kid protested to but he also smiled at Alec. “You take care of yourself, okay, Max? And I’m not that far away if you ever need anything. I’m always here for you.”

After a couple of quick hugs from the two of them, he was off. Alec thought about his broken little family the whole drive there, his heart squeezing in his chest at how fiercely he wanted to protect them from anything that could hurt them. 

After Robert had cheated on his mom and shattered their worlds two years ago, Alec had been the one to step up and pick up the pieces. And again when Izzy had hurt her back really badly at work and needed to be cared for. And once again when Izzy had overdosed and finally realized her addiction to the pain pills she had continued taking even after her back was better had spiraled out of her control. He had help from the rest of his family as well as Clary and Simon, of course but he was the foundation to their rickety lives. Solid and ever-present and steady. 

Now, with all them living apart other than Max and mom, he didn’t know how well he could do his job. He was still going to try really hard though. 

Alec pulled into a spot on the street just as someone was pulling out, grateful that he didn’t have to drive around too long. He had texted Magnus when he was headed over with his ETA because the man had offered to help him move in, to Alec’s surprise. He was grateful though because he could already feel the heat as a physical force when he stepped out of the car and started rummaging in the back. He turned around when he heard the front door of the townhouse open.

Magnus was coming down the stairs, looking apologetic. With his lined eyes, teased up hair and patterned maroon shirt almost unbuttoned entirely to show off his necklaces, the guy looked somehow even more put together in person. Alec found himself staring, the stuff in his car completely forgotten for a second. 

“Hi, Alexander, right? Sorry, I just saw your text that you were headed over a little bit ago. I hope you didn’t have to wait too long for me.”

Alec shook his head slightly, stuttering out a reply, “I, uh, um, n-no. But yeah, that’s me. You can call me Alec though, everyone does.”

Magnus’s smile turned mischievous as he said, “if you want, but I like your full name. It’s very pretty.”

“Oh. Thanks.” He turned around abruptly when he felt his face getting warm. Alec grabbed the first box he saw and turned back, shoving it at Magnus a little forcefully. “Here’s some stuff,” he said, heart hammering in his chest for some reason. 

Magnus made a small “oof” noise, pushed back slightly by the force of the box that was thrust at him and laughed. “Okay, I like a man who gets right to the point. Just follow me up and I’ll show you around.” 

_Here’s some stuff?_ Alec wanted to jump back into his car and drive all the way back upstate. Why was he acting like he had never spoken to anyone in his life? To be fair, he hadn’t really interacted with many people this summer, outside of his family, Clary and Simon, he reasoned.

He grabbed something else randomly and took the steps two at the time to catch up to Magnus. The apartment was only on the second floor of the walkup so Alec caught up to Magnus right as he was walking in through the wide open door. 

The photos hadn’t really done justice to the apartment either, he realized. There were a few plants by the double windows, which had a reading nook with a soft-looking lining in front. The couch and two armchairs in the living room looked worn in a good way and the hardwood floors were beautiful, especially with the early afternoon light streaming in. There was a plush looking Persian carpet in between the couch and T.V. The walls had some art pieces that Alec didn’t recognize, but went well with the design of the rest of the room. 

“This place is… really beautiful.” Alec said, eyes still traveling around the space.

Magnus beamed at him when Alec’s gaze finally landed on his face. “Thank you, Alexander. Just because we’re students doesn’t mean we have to live like pigs. Although I know not everyone can necessarily afford a place like this. This was passed down to me rent-controlled from a family friend when he moved out of the country. I just moved in a month ago so that’s why I’ve been searching for a roommate so last minute.”

Alec nodded, looking away from his bright smile to squint at a piece of art on the wall that seemed really interesting right at that moment. “Yeah, no, I agree with you. My siblings, who I used to live with definitely didn’t though, so this is a nice change.” He shuddered slightly at the messes he had to clean up at their old apartment. 

They spent the rest of the afternoon like that, getting to know each through small facts exchanged back and forth, as Magnus helped Alec bring his things into his new room. Alec thought that talking to Magnus felt similar to riding a bike again after many years, easy and natural once they got over the initial awkwardness. 

He didn’t have a lot of things but they were both sweaty by the time they finished, since it was a summer day in the city and they kept having to go up and down the stairs. Magnus wiped his brow and opened the fridge. 

“I obviously didn’t dress right for this,” he said, chuckling and slightly out of breath.

It prompted Alec to fully look at him again: from his loose shirt, which was almost see-through from the sweat, down to his tight black jeans and matching boots.

“You look good.” he said absently, before realizing the words had come out of his mouth.

“I mean, you’re dressed… fine. It’s fine, if that’s how you like to dress. Thank you for your help! You were really helpful and I don’t think I could’ve brought all that stuff up on my own.” He rambled, finding himself blushing for the second time today. 

The heat really isn’t helping my terrible social skills, he thought. 

Magnus smiled at him gently, and apparently decided to rescue Alec because he simply said, “No worries. You want a drink? I’m more of a cocktail person myself but I think I have some beers in here.” He started rummaging in the fridge for the beer before Alec could reply.

“Yeah, sure,” Alec croaked out, in an attempt to move on to anything else. He hated beer and most alcohol honestly, but something cold did sound nice. 

Magnus gestured for Alec to sit at the small dining table that was in a corner of the living room closest to the kitchen. The dining table looked antique and had some interesting carvings on its surface. Alec waited while Magnus fixed himself a cocktail surprisingly quickly.

“That was fast. Do you make those often?” Alec gestured to the drink.

“Probably a little too often, to be honest, but they help me wind down from the stress of being a double major in two very hands on programs, fashion and theater.” 

“Mm, I hear you. I’m doing a business major so I can eventually help my mom run the family business full time, but there’s been a lot of family stuff going on these past couple years, so it’s all been a lot to juggle at once.” The words came out of his mouth before he could even think them through. Alec was surprised that he had been that honest; he didn’t usually share so much with people he had just met. 

Magnus’s eyes softened as he looked at Alec and then reached over to clink their glasses together. “In that case, we both deserve this drink after all our hard work, today and in general.”

Alec smiled back, feeling perfectly comfortable just sitting there and looking into Magnus’ kind face for a few moments. Alec was feeling grateful to have found a roommate he could get along with so smoothly, awkward moments that he caused aside. 

Alec cringed a little as he took his first sip, which caused Magnus to laugh, breaking the silence. 

“Why didn’t you tell me you don’t like beer?” he said, with amusement dancing in his eyes.

“I’m not a huge fan of alcohol in general but it’s still nice after all that work.” Alec shrugged.

His phone started ringing just then, which made him startle slightly. When he saw the name “Izzy” flashing on the screen, he excused himself to go to his new room and take the call. 

He sat on the ground with his back to the door and answered. None of his stuff had been set up yet and he was stuck with an air mattress till his new bed and mattress were delivered tomorrow. 

“Hey, Izzy. Sorry, I didn’t call yet, I was unloading my stuff and hadn’t gotten the chance to. Everything okay?”

“Alec, stop worrying, everything is fine. I just wanted to make sure my big brother didn’t get murdered by this random new roommate.”

Alec rolled his eyes. “You think someone could take all 6’3” of me? I’d love to see them try. No, Magnus is actually really nice and super easy to get along with so far.”

Izzy laughed. “Ooh, he must’ve made a really good first impression because that’s high praise coming from you. “Really nice” and “super easy to get along with” in one sentence? Are you feeling okay?”

Maybe another time he would’ve thrown something back about how she wasn’t any better with strangers either but today, it felt like a breath of fresh air to hear his sister laughing again, even if it was at him. She had been at Idris Rehabilitation Facility for a month now and was starting to seem like her full self again, finally

“I like people. Sometimes. Anyway, how is it going there, has today been okay?”

“Today’s been great. I helped Sebastian and Raphael run a peer support group just for recovering opioid users. It was hard, but I’m glad I’m at a place in my recovery process to be helping run groups too.”

He breathed a sigh of relief at her words and leaned his head back against the door. He tried to tamp down his hope that she would be able to go home soon, knowing that it was a process and he wanted to give her as much time as she needed. “Did Simon come by today? He mentioned he would this week since I won’t be coming by till next week.”

He could practically hear Izzy rolling her eyes. “Yes, he did and it was nice to see him. But you know all of you guys don’t have to take turns visiting every week like I’m gonna disappear if you don't, right?”

“We know, we just miss you and wanna check in on you, that’s all.”

“Okay, well, when you say it like that, it makes me sound like the asshole. Sorry, I know that and I’m grateful for guys. It’s just hard feeling so fragile these days.”

Alec shook his head. “Izzy, you’re one of the strongest people I know, okay? Just focus on yourself and remember that we love you.”

“I love you too, big brother. Okay, gotta go to my next meeting, but I’ll see you next week?”

They said their goodbyes and Alec took a moment to collect himself, breathing deeply, in through his nose and out through his mouth. Talking to his sister these days never failed to bring him back to the night he had walked in on Izzy overdosing in her room, a little over two months ago now. He thanked whatever higher power was out there every day that she had narcan in her bag and that the ambulance got there so fast. Otherwise… 

He stopped himself before he could go there and stood up. 

Alec opened the door to find Magnus hovering outside, looking uncertain. He looked very different, having changed into soft-looking sweats and a t-shirt advertising Alicante U’s theater department. His makeup had been washed off, his jewelry was gone and his hair was down, falling into his eyes a little.

Alec felt a strange sense of groundedness at the sight of him like that, the anxiety crawling at his skin from a moment ago dissipating slightly. It was nice to know the guy didn’t look like he was ready to walk a runway all the time. 

“Hey,” he said, when he saw Alec, smiling softly, “just wanted to make sure everything was okay?”

Alec ran his hand through his hair and breathed deeply one more time. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He shrugged. “Just, more of that family stuff I was talking about.”

“Okay, I’m here if you want to talk about it sometime.” 

Alec usually would have said no, he was good, but the earnest look on Magnus’s eyes stopped the words from coming out. “Thanks, Magnus, I’ll think about it.” he said instead.

“I know you’ve had a long day so I won’t be offended if you want to do your own thing, but my boyfriend Ragnor offered to stop by with some pizza for us. I wanted to see if you want some? That way you could meet him too.”

Alec felt his chest clench uncomfortably and the sense of ungroundedness coming back. He also felt a strange sense of disappointment in the pit of his stomach, which didn’t match the reality that he was being offered free food. 

You’re being weird again, he chided himself. 

“Yeah sure, that would be great,” he said, forcing a smile on his face. “Let me go shower and clean up first. Wouldn’t want Ragnor to think your new roommate looks this gross all the time.” 

Magnus laughed. “You don’t look gross. But yeah, of course, the bathroom is right down the hall. Take your time, he’s still at work so it’ll take him a bit.”

He mumbled a thanks and closed the door. Alec became lost in thought as he changed out of his sweaty clothes and got ready to shower. 

He hadn’t realized Magnus had a boyfriend. 

So, what, Alec? He countered to himself, shaking his head. Only a homophobic asshole would have a problem with that. Don’t make your amazing new roommate who just spent a whole afternoon helping you move in uncomfortable in his own home by having some kind of weird reaction to the fact that he has a boyfriend.

Alec took a few more deep breaths to steady himself and walked out of his room, still unsure of what was going on with him today but pleading with his brain to have some normal interactions with Magnus for the rest of the night. 

When he got out of the shower, dressed in basketball shorts and a tank top, he could hear laughter coming from the living room.

“You know Lorenzo is just jealous that you’re more talented than him and mad that he didn’t get the part he wanted.” Someone, he assumed Ragnor, was saying, amusement laced in his voice. 

He walked in slowly, feeling like he was intruding. 

“Alexander!” Magnus beamed at him when he saw Alec walking towards them. “Come, sit with us and eat, you must be starving.”

Ragnor smiled at him and shook his hand when Alec offered it. Ragnor asked him some of the standard questions: what was his major, was he working, where did his family live etc that he asked back. He fell silent as he started digging into the pizza, which was from a local pizza place that he loved so it was a comforting meal after a long day.

“So, how’d you two meet?” He asked, when there was a lull in the conversation between Ragnor and Magnus.

“We’ve actually been friends since freshman year. We met in our first drama class and he’s quickly become one of my closest friends here. So when Ragnor asked me on a date last semester, it just felt like a next step in an already strong relationship.” Magnus smiled at Ragnor, who kissed his hand. 

“That’s really nice.” Alec said, feeling a little queasy. He looked down at his pizza and dropped it back onto the plate. Maybe it was the greasy pizza after not eating much all day. Or that he wasn’t as cool as he thought he would be at seeing two men being affectionate with each other. He was gonna have to work on this.

It wasn’t until Ragnor was saying goodnight and giving Magnus a parting kiss at the door that it finally clicked in Alec’s brain. The action had shot a burst of want straight to his heart that even he couldn’t miss.

Oh shit. 

It wasn’t that he was fighting some homophobic socialization. 

He just had a dumb little crush on Magnus.

_Oh shit._

Alec must’ve been showing his panic on his face because Magnus said, “Hey, you okay?” when he turned around, looking at Alec with his eyebrows furrowed in worry.

He stood up. “Yeah, I’m good, it's just been a long day. I think I’m gonna go to bed. Goodnight, Magnus. Thanks, uh, for all your help today.”

Magnus nodded in understanding. “Yeah, I’m pretty tired too. Goodnight, Alexander.”

The way Magnus said his full name every time and made it sound like something precious really wasn’t helping either.

As he lay in bed that night, he went through the events of the day in his head and realized he had been incredibly stupid. He guessed that it was maybe because he hadn’t had a crush on anyone for the longest time. Or had a crush on a man, ever. 

He put his pillow over his face and let out a small, frustrated scream. 

_What the fuck was he gonna do?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec just looked at him for a moment, eyes filled with amusement and something else that Magnus couldn’t quite put his finger on. With the afternoon light coming in through the window behind Magnus, Alec's eyes looked like a clear green lake on a summer day. He had to look away as he felt something flutter in his stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, words finally happened after a bit of a writer's block! Some Magnus POV for this one and it's still a lot of just them, but I'm planning to write more scenes with other characters I tagged in the next chapter. I'm @liminal_mess on twitter and am using the tag #ATWRfic for this au if anyone wants to tell me things over there. Thanks for reading if you do!

Magnus wasn’t used to having a roommate after living alone for the last year, but him and Alec were slipping into a comfortable rhythm already, though they both had been too busy for the first couple weeks of the semester to spend any time together, other than exchanging a hello here and there. He was still touchingly considerate, always cleaning up after himself and giving Magnus space when he needed it, or being around to help in unexpected ways. To be fair, the last person he had lived with was Camille, who had been anything but considerate, especially near the end. 

His heart still ached at the onslaught of memories that came when he thought of her. They had met when they were both freshmen and fallen for each other hard and fast. Or at least Magnus had. He wasn’t so sure if he would call the way she had treated him ”love” anymore. But he had been head over heels, so much so that when the signs that she was cheating on him started becoming more and more apparent, it still took him way too long to finally realize it and confront her. By then, she was such an expert at manipulating him that he gave her another chance. It finally took him walking in on her with someone else in their own apartment to realize that he deserved more.

Ragnor had been there for him through it all, as Magnus was falling to pieces inside while still managing his school workload and drinking too much to cope with it all. Dot and Cat had been there too, but Ragnor knew him best and was always honest with him. He had literally taken the drink out of a protesting Magnus’s hand, told him enough was enough and put him to bed more times than he wanted to remember. Or driven with him aimlessly in the dark, just listening to the radio and letting him talk, or sit in silence, when he couldn’t be alone with his thoughts anymore. 

And their friendship that had become a new relationship was built on that, trust and safety. Maybe it wasn’t as passionate as things had been with Camille, but he made Magnus feel as though the ground would always be steady underneath him in Ragnor’s presence. And after finally surfacing from the depths of being with Camille, he needed that steadiness. 

He was broken out of his reverie when Alec walked up to him with his bow and arrow set slung across his shoulders. “I’m ready to go, are you good?” he said, shifting the quiver further up his arm.

Magnus had noticed the bow and arrows among Alec’s things on the first day he had moved in and asked about it. It turned out that archery was a hobby of his and there was a range in the campus rec center that Magnus hadn’t known about. 

“Thanks for giving me a ride, Alexander,” Magnus said, “I know this is much too early for your first class at noon.” When his car had broken down over the weekend and Alec offered to drive him to campus this morning while it was being fixed. 

“Of course. I can just get some archery practice in before class and I wouldn’t want you to have to take the bus.”

Magnus shuddered at the thought of having to take the 2 buses and a train to get to campus otherwise. “You’re a lifesaver, honestly. This outfit was not made for public transportation.” He gestured to his black military-style jacket with intricate gold embellishments. 

Alec chuckled, opening his mouth like he was going to say something and then seemed to stop himself. He made a comment about what a pain the buses were and started heading for the front door instead. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------- 

Alec’s car was as neat as Magnus expected, based on how well he kept up the apartment. The radio crackled to life, blasting a song at full volume. Magnus caught a snippet of a Bright Eyes song: “but I realized I need you/And I wondered...” before Alec cringed and rushed to tap the off button. “Sorry, I like to listen to music pretty loud when I have a lot on my mind. Guess I did when I was driving last time.”

Magnus chuckled. “I get it, sometimes you just have to get lost in some good music. You’re lucky you haven’t seen me dancing around the apartment when I’m tipsy yet, it’s not very pretty.”

Alec just looked at him for a moment, eyes filled with amusement and something else that Magnus couldn’t quite put his finger on. With the afternoon light coming in through the window behind Magnus, Alec’s eyes looked like a clear green lake on a summer day. Magnus had to look away as he felt something flutter in his stomach.

Alec cleared his throat and started driving. Magnus didn’t know what had changed but suddenly there was a charge in the air that made him very aware of the exact distance between the two of them in the small space of the car. He tried to ignore the feeling and asked Alec about how his classes had been so far. 

As they pulled into one of the student parking lots that was somewhere in between their two buildings, Magnus’ phone buzzed. 

He looked down to see a message from his independent study professor. “Sorry Magnus, I’m going to have to cancel this morning, my kid is sick so I have to stay home with him.” 

Magnus sighed, prompting Alec to ask, “everything okay?”

“Well, I guess we both got out of bed early for no reason. Professor Penhallow just cancelled on me. Her kid is sick so I don’t blame her.”

“Ah, do you have work you could do while you wait for your next class?”

“Nothing pressing and-” Magnus stopped mid-sentence, turning to look at him curiously. “Actually, would you mind if I tagged along to see you practice at the range? I’m curious to see it and it’s always helpful to study different techniques for acting roles if you’re practicing.” 

Alec’s eyes seemed to widen a little but he nodded after a moment. “Yeah, yeah, sure, that’s totally fine.”

Magnus worried that he was imposing and Alec was just saying yes to be nice, but the thought of spending a little more time getting to know his new roommate while also satisfying his curiosity won out. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------- 

The range was on the second floor of the rec center, tucked into a corner. The room stretched out in a long rectangle with dashed white lines interrupted by posts on one end and targets on the other. 

Alec gestured around the room. “This is pretty much it, nothing too special. I’m glad they have one though, makes it easier to actually practice without having to find another place in the city.”

“How long have you been doing archery?” Magnus asked as he walked over to the bleachers a few feet behind the lines to take a seat. The range was empty except for them and one other man, who was shooting with his headphones in. 

“Since I was in high school. We used to do it in gym class and I really took to it. I’ve kept it up cause I still love it. Plus, I’m not responsible for much except making sure the arrow hits its mark when I’m in here, which is nice in it’s own way.”

Magnus smiled slightly at the thought of a young Alec trying archery in gym class for the first time and loving it. He also remembered what Alec had mentioned about all the family issues and how much he seemed to take upon himself, his heart squeezing slightly in his chest. 

“Do you uh, wanna to know about what I’m doing, or if that would bore you, I could just do my thing?”

“Sure, if you don’t mind explaining.” Magnus gave him an encouraging nod and leaned forward. 

“Yeah so, you wanna keep one foot on either side of the shooting line and put a relaxed grip on the back of the bow right here, “ Alec said, mirroring his words with his movements.

“Then you just load the arrow by sliding it forward and nocking it like this. You’re gonna put three fingers on your other hand a little bit under where the bow is nocked and tuck your pinky and thumb in. When you’re ready to shoot, you just extend your grip arm like this, both elbows slightly bent and stretch your arm back, finding an anchor point on your face to rest your hand. Last thing is to just make sure you’re pointing the tip of the arrow right at the bullseye.“ 

Alec stretched his arm back as he spoke, a look of concentration on his face. The muscle on his right bicep bulged slightly as he did so. The hand on his face framed his cheekbone as he stared down to the other end of the room. The movements were the fluid and practiced ones of someone who had done them countless times before. Magnus found himself staring, his eyes grazing the sharp lines of Alec’s body. He was broken out of it when Alec said, “then you let go,” and let the arrow fly. It landed in the middle of the bullseye, with a loud _thuack._

Magnus felt his heart pick up speed, beating in double time. 

Alec turned around to look at him with a grin on his face, clearly enjoying himself. “Did that make sense?”

It took Magnus a moment to collect his thoughts, so he just nodded. _Alright then,_ he thought.

“Yes, “ he said after a moment, “that was great. “

Alec practically beamed at him and asked, “do you wanna give it a try?” 

Magnus wasn’t sure if getting closer to Alec was a good idea right at that moment, but he realized that he didn’t want to disappoint him and thought, _oh what the hell_. “It can’t be as easy as you make it look, but yes, sure.”

He stood up and walked over, taking the bow that was handed to him. He took a deep breath and tried his best to recall the instructions Alec had just given. 

He heard a quiet “hmm” as he raised the bow to eye level. 

“Your hand should be- do you mind?” Magnus turned slightly to see Alec getting closer to him with his arms up. He stopped, hesitating slightly. 

“No, uh, put me how you want me,” Magnus said, voice coming out in a whisper. 

Alec moved closer and gently loosened the hand that Magnus was using to grip the handle of the bow. “Relax that hand a little,“ he murmured, his breath ghosting over the back of Magnus’ neck. The sensation made Magnus shiver slightly, feeling goosebumps rise on his skin. 

Alec shifted his attention to Magnus’ elbow next, leaving a warm sensation where his hand had been that lingered after it was gone. Magnus felt an urge to have that hand back. 

_Magnus, get a hold of yourself,_ he thought, trying to catch the breath that suddenly seemed to have left him. 

“Move that elbow a little,” Alec continued, seemingly oblivious to the effect he was having.

“Okay, now you’re perfect.”

Magnus turned his head at that moment, catching Alec’s eyes. They were more of a constellation of colors up close, with specks of gold and brown within the green. 

“Thanks,” was all Magnus could get out. 

Alec broke their lingering stare and squinted down at the target across the room. “Whenever you're ready.”

Right, the arrow. Archery. 

Magnus let the arrow go, forgetting to pay attention to the trajectory. It landed as far left of the bullseye as possible without entirely missing it. He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“I think I should probably stick to activities that don’t require good hand-eye coordination.”

Alec shook his head, taking the bow that was being gingerly handed back to him. “I think you did good for your first try.”

“If ‘good’ somehow means ‘really bad’ in your vocabulary, then sure, I believe you.”

Alec let out a surprised laugh at that, the sound echoing in the quiet room. Magnus wanted to keep saying the right words that would draw that clear laughter out of him. He shook his head, as if that would clear it from the onslaught of everything he was feeling. 

“Actually, I should be getting to class,” he said suddenly, feeling overwhelmed and needing desperately to fully clear his head. 

“Oh, yeah, right. I’ll see you back at the apartment later?” Alec raised one side of his mouth in a ghost of a smile that fell too short of his eyes. 

Magnus felt a pang of guilt for leaving so abruptly with a flimsy excuse when they were both having a good time. It wasn’t Alec’s fault that the man was having this effect on him. 

“Thanks, for the lesson. I enjoyed it.” He said, after parsing through his thoughts for some nuggets of truth he felt sure about. 

The smile he got this time inched a little closer to the eyes. Magnus walked away with his head a jumbled mess of thoughts. 

He kept seeing flashes of green and gold and brown throughout the rest of his day of classes that he pushed away, bringing his attention back to his lectures, for it then wander again. It was only when he had a moment to himself as he was waiting for Ragnor, Dot and Cat to join him for lunch at one the dining halls they frequented that he let himself process everything from earlier. 

_Okay, so your new roommate is attractive_ , _you knew that the day he moved in,_ he thought to himself. _And now you know the two of you have some kind of chemistry. So what? You’re in a relationship and this is just something that will pass. A silly crush._

He felt determined that that’s all it was and so, he resolved to stop giving the feelings any more attention, sure that they would dissipate with time. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------- 

And he didn’t for a few weeks, which admittedly, might have had more to do with the fact that he was playing a lead role in the theater department’s Winter production as well as working on his collection for his fashion senior thesis. He came home earlier than usual one day to find Alec watching t.v. in the living room. When Alec heard Magnus come in, he paused the show he was watching and looked up in surprise.

“Magnus, hey, I thought you would be at rehearsal for another hour.”

“Yeah I thought so too, but Jia mercifully let us go early because we’ve been working so hard to pull this thing together. Or it might have been because she got annoyed at us and wanted us out of her sight, “ He added, chuckling, “either way, I’m grateful for the extra hour of my life back.”

Magnus hung his messenger bag in the closet by the front door and collapsed into one of the armchairs, sighing loudly. He squinted at the t.v. “Hold on, is this the Man in the High Castle?” 

Alec looked at him curiously, “Yeah, are you watching it too?”

Magnus sat up from where he was slouched on the chair, grinning at him. “Yes, oh my god, I’m so into this show. Okay, wait, what episode is this? Are you on season 2?”

They spent the next hour talking back and forth about the show, engrossed in sharing their theories, favorite characters and plotlines with each other, the episode Alec was watching forgotten.

Eventually Alec’s stomach let out an audible growl, which caused Magnus to pause mid-sentence. “Did you eat yet? I’m guessing by that sound, the answer is no?”

Alec shrugged, looking embarrassed. “I’m kind of bad at feeding myself sometimes, either because I’m too busy running around or get focused on something else. Right now, it’s been this show. I was gonna just grab something from the freezer, there’s a frozen meal in there somewhere.”

Magnus shook his head, looking a little horrified. “I know those are convenient but at what cost? Hold on, I have salmon thawing in the fridge I was gonna make with some rice pilaf, if you want some? Please let me save you from your frozen meal.”

Alec tried to look offended but he couldn’t help the smirk that spread across his face. “Okay, what college student has ‘salmon thawing in the fridge?’”

“The kind who’s offering to make you dinner for free?” Magnus quipped back, raising an eyebrow.

“You got me there. And that does sound really good. Yes, please save me from my sad box of stouffer’s meal that I can’t even remember the name of.”

Magnus laughed as he walked into the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves. 

He heard Alec shout, “Sorry, I should’ve asked, do you need help?” from the other room, which made him smile softly to himself at how thoughtful Alec always was. 

“It’s okay, Alexander, go back to watching the episode,” he yelled back. 

The delicious aromas of salmon and rice cooking filled the air as Magnus got to work. The food was done in half an hour, even with Magnus stepping out of the kitchen once in a while to peek at the t.v and laugh at the reactions that Alec had started yelling since Magnus was there to appreciate them and yell some back. 

He brought out two plates of food and joined Alec in the living room, just as the other finished the episode. 

“This looks amazing, thanks so much, Magnus. But can we talk about that episode for a sec, what the hell was up with that ending?” 

Magnus grinned, both at the compliment and Alec’s reaction to the ending. “I’m ahead of you so I’m keeping my mouth shut. I will watch the next one with you and offer my spoiler free reactions though.”

Alec grumbled but Magnus could tell by the smile he was failing at hiding that he was happy to have someone to watch the show with. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------- 

They started watching The Man in the High Castle together when they could after that first time, which wasn’t always, so they also began texting each other during the times when they couldn’t. Magnus was at rehearsal the following week when he got a burst of texts from Alec while he was watching the latest episode. 

Alec 6:20pm

Ugh I hate Joe!!

He’s handsome, I’ll give him that, but can he just pick a damn side?

I don’t trust him

Magnus 6:40pm

Juliana deserves better honestly 

Alec 6:41pm

Right? 

I also hate her sometimes

Juliana, please make better life choices, you’re stressing me out

Alec 6:45pm

Also, sorry, I hope I’m not bothering you with all these texts

Magnus 6:46pm

Of course not!

Please text away

I may not reply right away because I’m at rehearsal but I’ll enjoy going through them after

Magnus heard his name being called, drawing him away from his phone screen. Jia, the director for their Winter production, was glaring at him with her hands on her hips.

“Magnus, I’m sure whatever you’re grinning about is important but it’s your scene and it’s a somber one so you need to do something about that look on your face and get up there.”

Magnus apologized and tucked the phone into his pocket, the smile lingering stubbornly on his face as he joined his cast-mates on the stage. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------- 

Magnus took a moment to hit send on the text he had typed out before putting on his shoes as he headed out the door. 

Magnus 9:00am

Hey, I packed a lunch for you too because I had some food leftover again today

It’s on the kitchen counter!

Hope these don’t wake you up oops

He had started noticing Alec’s abysmal track record with remembering to feed himself properly since he had mentioned it the first time. So along with all their back and forths about Man in the High Castle and the roommate related exchanges and well, just about everything else too, he had fallen into a habit of giving Alec reminders to do so. They worked about 50% of the time because Alec had admitted sheepishly that sometimes he would proceed to forget after seeing the text when he was busy. So Magnus had decided to just start putting food in front of the man, which had led to a better success rate. 

He was in class a couple hours later when his phone vibrated.

Alec 11:02am

Did it hurt when you fell from heaven??

Because you’re literally an angel

I was already running late and now I don’t have to think about finding lunch later

Bless you

He was going to have to work on his poker face because he couldn’t help the smile that snuck onto his face at Alec’s response. He read over the first text again. 

_Did Alec not realize how that line was usually used?_

He decided to not to go down that road and dropped his phone back in his pocket, ignoring how traitorous heart picked up speed. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------- 

Magnus walked up the stairs of his apartment that evening, feeling all the tiredness of the day and his stomach growling slightly, since he hadn’t had a break to grab a snack since lunchtime. He was surprised that he could smell the aromas of cooking coming wafting down as he got closer to his front door. 

_Did Rangor come by?_ He thought curiously, surprised since Rangor was usually at work on Tuesday evenings and he had never seen Alec cook. 

He opened the door and said, “hello?” uncertainly. 

“Hey, Magnus!” Alec replied, walking into the room with two plates of what looked like lasagna still steaming on the plates. 

Magnus opened his mouth and then closed it, not knowing what to say for a moment.

“Did you cook dinner for both of us?” He whispered, eventually.

Alec set the plates down on the dining room table and grinned at him. “I wanted to say thank you for how thoughtful you’ve been and food seemed like the right way to do that, considering you’re the reason I’ve actually been eating three meals a day lately. And this is basically the only thing I know how to make kind of decently because my mom would make it all the time.”

Magnus sat down, still feeling a little stunned at this simple act of kindness that felt like everything he sorely needed after the long day he had just been through. He was used to doing things for other people but when it was returned, he always felt so incredibly touched that the person had thought of him. 

“I.. don’t even know how to thank you. This is exactly what I needed tonight.” Magnus shook his head in amazement and grabbed a fork.

Alec smiled shyly at him, eyes soft with some kind of emotion that Magnus felt too unsure to try to decipher. “I figured, based on your texts about how your day was going so far. You being able to actually eat it would be thanks enough for my sad cooking skills.”

Magnus chuckled, taking a big bite. He let out a small groan, closing his eyes for a moment. “This is so good,” he said, words muffled around the mouthful. 

“I’m just relieved it’s edible, honestly,” Alec replied, waving his hand dismissively, but unable to stop the proud smile from spreading across his face. 

As they started eating, Alec grew quiet, staring down at his plate like he was miles away.

“Hey, where’d you go?” Magnus inquired, tilting his head curiously.

“Oh, um, I was just thinking about how excited Izzy would get when mom would make this for dinner when we were younger. It was her favorite. She was on my mind tonight when I decided to make it.”

Magnus nodded, understanding entering his expression. “You’re picking her up from the rehab tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah, tomorrow morning. I’m so proud of her and it seems like the program has really helped her. I’m just nervous about if it’ll last. I really want her to be okay, but I know recovery takes time.”

“That’s understandable, Alexander. But she has a lot of wonderful people in her life who care about her and will be there for her once she’s home, including you,” Magnus reassured, reaching out to touch his shoulder in an attempt to be comforting. 

Alec looked at the hand and then up at him, a few expressions flitting across his face before it settled on grateful. 

“Thanks Magnus, that means a lot…” He trailed off like he wanted to add something else to the end of the sentence but had changed his mind. 

They cleaned up together in comfortable silence punctuated by conversation about the next day, school and the show once in a while. They both decided to go to sleep earlier since they had to up early the next morning. 

Magnus stopped at Alec’s door where he was packing some things in his backpack for the next day. “Hey,” he said softly, “let me know if you need anything tomorrow? I’m here.”

Alec nodded and they exchanged a look that lingered for a beat too long before Magnus looked away, a mix of warmth and confusion swirling in his gut. “Goodnight.” 

Magnus found himself thinking about the dinner as he waited for sleep to take him that night, warmth blooming in his chest. He wasn’t sure what to make of it all, of them, of how Alec made him feel, but he was glad the man their paths had crossed during both of their last year of college, when they could’ve entirely missed each other just as easily. That much he was sure of.

**Author's Note:**

> Pls don't hate me, I promise there will be happy endings for everyone eventually. I wouldn't do my boys(Ragnor included) dirty like that, buuut I will put them through some angst and pining first😬.


End file.
